debates in the past, but not often. this is truly historic. it shows that the court recognizes the importance of these issues. today is important, because the threshold issue, if it goes against both parties and the court decides this is a tax, you love, all dressed up for nothing. -- you have come all dressed up for nothing. you will hear moaning from both sides, because that is an outcome that nobody wants, to kick this can down the road to 2015. host: our cameras will continue to be before the court and outside the court on capitol hill as well. we will continue on c-span. oral arguments released around 1:00 p.m. eastern. we will continue talking about the oral arguments on the washington journal tomorrow and

wednesday as well. thanks for watching. ho[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> we are going to sing the national anthem for the supreme court and for the congress. people need to understand health care is a human rights. so that we are all united in this cause. >> do it right. o say can you see by the dawn's early light

for so proudly we hail at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars scott through the perilous fight for the ramparts we won were so gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there osage does that star spangled banne banner yet wave

the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> give me an "a" >> "a"\ protect health care. protect health care. " -- me an

>> h. >> care for you, care for me, care for every family. care for you, care for me, care for every family. care for you care for me care for every family care for you care for me care for every family care for hyou care for me care for every family

care for you care for me care for every family care for new -- care for you care for me care for every family soon and very soon we are going to change the world soon and very soon we are going to change the world soon and very soon we are going to change the world that soon and very soon we are going to change the world host: good morning, you're looking at live pictures from capitol hill where moments ago the u.s. supreme court began hearing the initial oral arguments in telling this to the

nation's health care law. that begins six hours of hearings over the next three days at the nation's highest court on health care. as you can see, people have come to the nation's capital from all across the country to express their views on a lot. if many are here on the u.s. capitol grounds co. this is the main site setup for protesters. it's across the street from the supreme court. organizations in favor and opposed to the bill have announced plans for everything from news conferences to acquire concerts' making for quite an unusual day on capitol hill. recognizing the importance of these cases, the supreme court has announced it will release audio of today's oral argument right after they are finished hearing the case at about 1:00 p.m. eastern time. we will carry today's argument as soon as it is publicly available. you will bill to hear its with pictures that we will produce on c-span3 and on c- span.org. until then we will open up our

phone lines to talk to you about the supreme court review of the health care law. here's how to join into the discussion this morning -- there are other ways to join the discussion. you can tweet us or use the hashtag on twitter for the supreme court. or you can participate on facebook. we will be posting new questions and pulls all day about the supreme court's oral arguments. before we get to our first call, here's a look at the specific issues before the court. if three days of hearings. today they are looking at arguments related to whether or not the court has jurisdiction over the health care law. the argument goes, the

individual mandate is not yet in effect. it takes effect in 2014. on tuesday the court will hear arguments about whether the individual mandate itself is constitutional,. on wednesday, the court will hear two separate oral arguments in the morning. the issue of severability. that means if the individual mandate is ruled unconstitutional, does that mean the entire law is unconstitutional. in the afternoon, another oral argument. that's about whether or not the expansion of medicaid under the health care law is an unconstitutional intrusion on the state's. we will take telephone calls and listen to your comments. we will mix in facebook comments and twitter. let's begin with our first caller from houston, texas. deborah, you are on the air. caller: i am a republican. i want to know what kind of

protections i would have as an ymerican citizen against min governor regarding medicaid. i got a letter last week from a company that says they have been hired by texas to handle my claims. they are based in wisconsin. rick perry cannot replace the health care. i want to know what kind of protections i have as an american against a governor who [unintelligible] host: our colleague peter is talking to some of the people in front of the court today. >> in front of the court, joining us is national coordinator of the tea party patriots.

what is your goal today? >> we want to make sure that the court and all-america nose we are here standing up for them and for the constitution. the majority of americans want obamacare repealed. 70%. we are letting people know this is unconstitutional. >> what is the strongest argument against the health care law? >> that would be the mandate. the government has no right to force us to purchase the products abroad because we live and breathe. they cannot decide what kind of health care we will get. they don't need to be in the doctor's office with us making decisions for that should between us and our doctors. >> you have a group of tea party patriots over here. some of the unions are here as well. now is here. have you had a chance to

interact with some of the other groups? >> we have. in has been friendly and peaceful so far. if we plan to keep it that way. we are all exercising our first amendment right. that is why we are here, because if we love our constitution so much that we want to make sure the court upholds this if, so we can continue to do things like this. even when we disagree, we have the right to express ourselves. >> does your group have any folks inside listening? >> we don't. i know people camped outside. they have been camping outside since friday night. we don't have any doing that. we are outside instead. >> very quickly, we want to show you the scenes. if we can get that camera, jake. a couple hundred media out here and many other people. by the library of congress they are lined up for tomorrow's

argument already. here's the scene outside the supreme court. host: it is a beautiful day in washington, d.c., as you can see, adding to the size of the crowd expressing their views on the supreme court reviewing the health care law. the arguments got under way of 10:00 eastern. that is 90 minutes. attorneys arguing before the justices. many stories written over the weekend about the amount of practice these lawyers went through before arguing this high-profile case. the attorney arguments in favor and of the anti intention act was supported by the court and argues the challenges are premature because the law prevents the court from taking a talent is to a law until the individual mandate goes into

effect. long is a partner at covington and burlington. he heads up the pope supreme court litigation for that group -- the appellate and the supreme court litigation for that group. verrilli is the u.s. solicitor general. also in the courtroom is gregory katsas. he held a number of positions in the george w. bush justice the problem including assistant attorney general for the civil division and acting associate attorney general. a tough job for those three lawyers. the first of the oral arguments being heard today. as soon as the oral argument is over, the court or police audio only if. even though c-span had requested to allow television cameras in

there. that was turned down. but they are allowing the oral argument to be released today immediately after the hearing. we will put that on our networks so you can hear the argument shortly after it concludes. let's hear our next telephone call from ohio. gerry, a republican. good morning. -- jerri. caller: thanks for taking my call. good morning. this is not about health care. it is about the government controlling the people and gaining access into our personal information. i worked in columbus, ohio, for about five years over two jobs. there were just above minimum wage jobs. i did not have any kind of health coverage at all. i have had my wisdom teeth extracted and i paid cash for that.

i had blood work done, doctor visits. they let you make payments. there was an instance where i had to be taken to the emergency room in an ambulance. i was never billed for that. that was before all of this came into play about this national health care bill. i have never seen any problem with anybody getting health care before all of this. people were never denied any kind of treatment in the hospital. it was never any issue. i had a great grandmother who lived to be 97. she was in the hospital one time in her life. that was in her 90s. what if she had been mandated to pay health insurance all of her life and only used it once? host: thanks for your examples

from your personal life and your view on the health care law. next is, in westminster, maryland, an independent. caller: yes, i have worked around the medical field about 28 years. last eight years i was a referral coordinator, so i had a lot to do with the insurance companies then. i have a couple questions. one, if you can go buy the insurance companies that are run by the federal government, it seems as though they are the only ones that run in the red. every year goes by, you hear about billions of dollars that are lost because of fraud. they talk about about it but they don't do anything.

the second point i would like to make would-be, i have never in all the years i worked in emergency rooms and urgent care, i have never seen anyone, whether they had insurance or did not have it, ever turned away. also, there are a lot of doctors --the best doctors -- contribute their time for free with no questions asked. you did not have to have insurance. all thisunderstand what hullabaloo is about when it comes to our insurance costing so much. host: thanks for your call. from facebook, here are comments posted on our page. writes --

and michael -- and turned to twitter -- next is a call from white yelling. mary is a democrat. you are on the air. caller: hello. i figure, the health care law is pretty much helping me, that i don't have to pay copays and stuff like that. it saves me a lot of money. i'm on social security, medicare, and medicaid. host: next, bronx, new york, lawrence, republican. good morning. the supreme court is reviewing the health care law. you are on the air. caller: i'm calling to let you

know i was born in the virgin islands and i live in the bronx. i am a republican registered voter. what will happen if we as republicans repeal this health care law? what do we have to replace it? because of this law i will never vote republican again. i'm changing my vote. i will be a democrat. host: from facebook, from houston --

that was on facebook. the next call is from nashville. an independent. brant. caller: hello, thank you for c- span. my concern is obesity. it is estimated $150 billion per year now. in six years, $350 billion. this health care insurance bill is a windfall to the insurance companies. 1/10 are out of work and 1/7 on food stamps. my point is why not make people eat broccoli if you are going to make them pay for insurance? and make them eat brussels sprouts. obesity is the cause. this is not a democratic solution to make insurance companies welfaalthy.

host: next is david, a democrat in. long in caller: hi, thanks for letting me give my point of view on the air. i am definitely a democrat and i am not really for this health- care plan. i don't believe it is fair all across the board. i definitely think the poor people will be exempt from paying a penalty. they will be exempt from paying the cost of the copay. they are going to be exempt for their income level. i believe it's $9,000 a year. if they are exempt, who picks up that cost? they can go to the hospital for free while the rest of the

country has to work and pay their portion. i don't find that very fair. is there a reason why people think this is fair? host: thanks for your call. back to the plaza outside the supreme court on capitol hill. more discussion with people on the site this morning. >> now joining us at the supreme court is another professional interest groups. angela is the president-elect of the american academy of nurse practitioners with a different perspective on the health care law. why are you out here, first of all? [no audio] host: we lost that connection. we will be back when we established the transition. let's go back to. telephone to next is forney, texas, rachel,

independent. you are on the air. caller: i think this whole bit is about protecting the insurance companies. i have insurance. my husband pays over $7,000 a year. i have to come up with $4,000 to get a test. they are just -- all they are doing is protecting insurance companies. my sister cannot get insurance. she had been issued 10 years ago. $400 a month she is paying. they ought to take these insurance companies to court for robbery. that is what they are doing to us. they know that middle-class people cannot come up with $4,000 a year. they are depending on that. they are paying them for nothing. we cannot throw this on obama.

this has always been going on. these big people in government protecting insurance companies and they are calling this unconstitutional. how about in the 1970's when you went to apply for jobs, you had to take a lie-detector test? that was not constitutional. my sister-in-law could not get a job for that. host: thanks for your call. next is sheila, a democrat in the philadelphia. caller: i agree with that last lady. it's about the insurance companies. somebody said that we get adequate care. i am a kidney patient. i had the insurance company, a pharmacy and changed my medication without its any conversation with my doctors at all. i don't want the insurance companies for telling me what kind of care or medicine i can take. another thing is --

discovered that discove blood plasma died because he was not allowed to go into the hospital. and hospitals deny people the right to comment. that private care hospitals. they would transfer you to a hospital that would take emergency patients if you did not have insurance. what kind of america do we want? and are we are brothers keepers or not? thank you. host: on twitter -- and a comment on facebook --

we are taking your telephone calls as you are joining the conversation by other technology as well. you can tweet or send us a facebook posting. we are waiting for next phone call to come in and as we watched the court scene. court scene.watch the

we're listening to sounds on the supreme court plaza on this first day of three of oral arguments into the health care law. the justices are about 30 minutes into a 90-minute oral argument on this thursday. we're listening to your comments about it. george, a republican from texas. caller: good morning. this is wrong in so many ways. first, the president --there's no socialism in the constitution. who are these people to dictate i should pay. i pay exorbitant progressive

taxes as i'm the owner of a corporation. i decided to drop my insurance more than 10 years ago because it kept going up my deductible was enormous. so i put the money in a bag. now i have enough that if i get a problem i go down and start the ball rolling and i will pay the same premiums of as i would a day before the fact. i don't understand. something that bothers me is the left keeps telling me that with national health care everyone is going to be educated to take care of themselves. that did not happen in medicare/medicaid. all those people are two-third 2/3 fat to obese. human nature will say i can abuse myself all abuse now, because the

government will take care of it. imagine what the lines will be like on the thursday this takes effect. it will be like socialist takeover of an industry that is 1/7 of the gdp of this country. what is next kick? will they take over next? socialism healthcare is in europe. the english legislator had a law that no longer than 18 weeks will be expected to wait for a procedure from the doctor to a specialist. now they are trying to get down to 18 weeks. i have to say that i am thoroughly against it and am tired of paying for everyone else. jack on twitter -- next is a phone call as we

listen to your comments on the health care law. bakersfield, california, josiah, independence. independent. caller: so many people from canada come to the u.s. because they have socialized health care and they have to wait weeks and years for health care. this is going to create so many problems for so many people. people are going to be going and abusing the system and going in for every little problem when they don't have to, stopping care for people that actually needed it. and as far the government mandating what we have to do, if they can mandate this, they can mandate pretty much anything else regarding coverage. people have to buy insurance to buy a car, but you don't have to

buy a car if you don't want to. that's the difference. you can take public transportation. the difference between buying insurance for a car and buying insurance on your health is the difference between what you choose to do and what you choose not to do. host: thanks. congresswoman donna edwards, a maryland democrat has posted this on twitter -- next is a call from salem, pennsylvania. charles is a democrat. caller: hello, good morning. i was calling to tell you that this is all rhetoric going back to the civil rights act of the 1960's. should this be put down --

rejected, they can also reject all civil rights activities and they can eliminate the department of education. and all of the colleges in germany are paid for free to the people. the gasoline is high over there. $9 a gallon. however, all of their health care and college education is taken out of that portion of their cost. that is two things they have in europe that we don't have here. many people say we don't want to be like europe. however, their system is not perfect. ours is not perfect. this will strike down the

civil rights act of 1964. if this is stripped down, it basically will be the civil rights act. thank you. host: on facebook there is this comment to share with our audience -- and on twitter -- next is a phone call from georgia, su is a republican -- sue. caller: if insurance companies

are so wrong, they should make laws to correct what they are doing wrong. that way it is in the private sector and people can choose what they want to do. anything in the government -- anything run by government -- you can go in any of the government places -- health --e, the welfare departmentt every city has government health care if you really cannot afford it. your kids can get shots free, you can get a pap smear, all kinds of things you can get in there if you cannot afford it. if you look at the way they are run, because it is not private, it is run so much different. there is just a difference. when you walk in there, it is a different feel. it is like we go by our own pace, we do this.

a lot of times it is like they are aggravated that you even come in there. if our whole health care is run the way the government runs what they have no, it's a would be awful. host: next is crystal, an independent in north carolina. the town of indian trail. caller: i have been following this closely because my husband and i have been in different situations. i had to quit my job because i fell and hurt my hip and my leg. if i had insurance at the time. this was in 1997. i did not sue because i felt as a christian i did not want to. at the time i did not know this was the beginning of the end of my physical well-being and my

body. in 30 days i have 30 days worth of insurance left and that was all. i paid -- made a fairly good in, and after that, even between me and my husband, i did not have enough to go take care of what was wrong with my body. you understand? i cannot go to medicaid because he made too much. i don't know the people are listening to me. you cannot just go to a hospital -- you cannot walk into a hospital emergency room and be treated for serious condition that you are not automatically treated but you are referred to find your doctor. if you are without a job and you cannot walk or sit, there's nothing you can do. i am not really for the mandate at all, but our health care situation has got to be

strengthened and rounded out so that individuals can go into a company, some sort of whatever to find out where they can stand to get help. you understand? if they can pay on a sliding scale, so be it. if they cannot, there has to be help for people. i cannot believe that i could not get help. at this moment i'm sitting on the edge of my bed in dire pains. they will not give me pain pills. i don't want to get addicted to them. the point is if you don't get another job --if i had gone to get another job without a portion in this bill saying that i had something wrong with me in the past, if this had been in effect back then i could have tried to gone to work at a sitting down job and got an insurance and gotten better. as it is, in 15 years i have

dead.lf host: thank you. c-span contracted with a polling firm in washington, d.c., a couple days before or arguments began to a national poll. 1000 adults were interviewed in their views about the upcoming case. here are a few highlights of what they found in that polling. 95% of those polled, all adults 18 and above. 95% said they were interested either very much or somewhat in the supreme court proceedings on health-care --

we are returning to phone calls. uniontown, pennsylvania. wayne is a democrat. hello. caller: working people, a large percentage of them making under the living wage without health insurance. as far as socialism, socialism is where you are prevented from having health care. socialism is destroying this country through the old marcoule system patroled by wall street and their cohorts in congress. the woman mentioned a while ago that there should be a law it want to control health insurance through the insurance companies. we had them, but the republicans will not put them back on there.

it's called the antitrust laws. host: next is lakeland, florida. ron is a republican. welcome to the conversation. caller: i just wanted to say this whole argument about the government controlling health care is one has been destroying health care the last 40 years. the government has been trying to make health care affordable the last 40 plus years and it's one of the most unaffordable things in the country. it's because of government involvement. people are not aware that state politicians set the price of every single to help care procedure. medicare reimbursement schedules set the prices of all procedures, all utensils, all operations. they behind reimbursements to hospitals and major medical entities. and everything else doctors do

in their offices. host: next is a tweet -- a debate between two people on our facebook page --

taking calls next. a democrat in washington. caller: amanda. everyone talking about the health care system. the lady was bringing up the fact that we're all just doing stuff to react to people's diseases or obesity or whatever is. i believe that we should been putting more effort into preventative care and talking about the things that are being allowed in this country that might be big causes as tuna lack of health in this country. we have all gotten sicker. we may be living longer, but we are not a help here nation --a -- not a helthier nation.

the health-care system is all stuff nsurance and helpinthe has hit the fan. nobody's talking about nutrition or things that can help prevent you from being sick. if you have no means to go to a grocery store and buy nutritious food because the prices are high, that will be something that will affect your health care. if you cannot get nutritious food and you are surviving on a drive through menu, most likely in you will not be of help the person. that's a big problem. -- a healthy person. and the mandate requiring people to buy a particular product, i agree with all the other callers that it is unconstitutional. if the federal government would like to join in with all the other united states citizens -- because that's what they are -- they should also take that particular health care on.

our country is turning into something where our rights are being whittled away. it is very scary. host: thanks for calling from washington state. live pictures from the supreme court plaza. these folks are camping out for their chance to sit in the chamber for tomorrow's hearing. that will be on the individual mandate. many of the people watching this case closely say that is the highlight for the most interesting of several cases the court will review concerning the health care law. it has two full hours, along this hearing, by the justices into the challenges on health care. if you have been watching, there are about 400 seats in total. many of them allocated to reporters, to friends and colleagues of the justices with an interest in the case, friends of the court in that respect. a number of lawyers, some members of congress might be there as well. and 58 or 60 seats just for the public. for the people in line today,

they have high hopes of a precious few numbers of seats inside the building. we will talk to someone on the plaza today expressing their views, up next. just off the steps of the court we are joined by kathy from atlanta, georgia. i don't know if you can see over her shoulder there is little chaie.blue that is forecasting. >> i arrive friday around 2:00 and i spent three nights on the pavement here. i care about this case because my kids are chronically ill. i have a 29-year-old son with diabetes, one.

and my daughter is 27 with epilepsy. my kids are not insurable in the private market. what this law does is insurance companies will be required to insure sick people in 2014. that's a novel idea. my kids will be able to buy a policy and insurance companies will not allowed to distort thcharge them more because they are sick. it is peace of mind. >> at what point did you decide coming to washington was something you needed to do? >> i made the decision in 2007 to become an advocate for quality affordable health care for everyone, because if i could see the train wreck that was happening to my kids in their lives and for the rest of their lives. so this case, when i thought about the arguments and realized we cannot watch it on

television, i decided i wanted to be a part of it and see with my own eyes. >> right before we went live on camera, you kind of shook your head and muttered, "this is a bizarre experience." >> iowa been sleeping on pavement three nights. there is so much at stake here, not only for my family but for millions of americans who don't have access to affordable health care. we have the whole war of ideas. but i do believe that this law brings everybody into the fold and goes a long way. could of been a better bill, but it goes a long way towards improving health care in our country. for those concerned about the individual mandate and all that, it's all about individual responsibility. it means we have to provide for the contingency where some day

we are going to get sick and could be in a car accident or something. so what happens currently at is when uninsured people get in that situation, the end of going to the emergency room and getting free care that you and i pay for, those of us that have insurance today. health care is complicated. the average person either sees it as a liberty or not a liberty but not really how to resolve this very complex problem of health care? >> how do you, sleeping on the pavement, how do you think about the necessities of life? >> it has been cold and wet. i had a chair and not a sleeping bag, so i have had to scramble to get people to go to target and buy stuff for me. food is not a problem. there's a starbucks not far from here.

and we have access to a bathroom a couple blocks away, which was my number one concern in the whole thing. i have my suitcase over there, so i'm living moment to moment. >> she is first in line for tomorrow's health care supreme court argument. thank you. >> looking at some of the sights and sounds of the supreme court plaza. if this is your first introduction to what we are following, a little bit about the supreme court history. and for much of its history the supreme court did not meet in its own building. in the 1920's, william howe or taft, the only supreme court chief justice who also served as president, successfully argued that the supreme court needed its own building. proximity to the capital important, it was designed by a very noted architect at the time. he suggested the phrase under

the pediment, equal justice under law. the cornerstone to the building, was laid in 1932. i want to show you, if you would like to learn more about the court, c-span produced a documentary a couple years back called "the supreme court." all the living justices. this is what it looks like on our home page if you follow the link on the bottom. it has the video of the documentary. every living justice, both serving and retired, were interviewed for this project. lots of discussion about the history of the building and the importance inside. and we recommend that to you. if if you want to learn more about the supreme court and the history of the court and its special proximity to the legislature and the capitol building. taking your calls, as the court right now is in process of hearing the first day of oral arguments. they began at 10:00 eastern, 50 minutes ago and.

scheduled for 90 minutes this morning. continuing coverage will include your comments, more interviews. you can post on facebook and twitter to join the discussion. next is gary, an independent in tampa, florida. caller: thanks very much parable isolating that was talking to in front of the building puts this in perspective. [no audio] 1 nobody has bothered to discuss is everybody has a body, which means everyone at some point in his life is going to

be seen by health care professional peer the question is will it cost you a little or is it going to cost you your house and your automobile and your savings and everything else? ?f the other wa after the second world war our government asked people what would you like your country to be? people said we would like for all of our citizens, if they are smart enough, to be a book to attend university and we would like for all our citizens to be able to have access to very, very good medical care. and the u.s. government did that for the people of germany after world war ii under the marshall plan. americans invented the health care system,. yet the people of germany still have in place today. those insurance companies month on a strict 15%.

the people are healthier than we are here and they pay a whole lot less and they have actual insurance companies for. you actually get to choose the insurance company. so it is an interesting thing that we are still having this conversation and it wound up having to go to the supreme court. host: on twitter -- next, louis, missouri. antoine, a democrat. welcome to the discussion. caller: yes, i would like to elaborate on what gary said. he gave some very good points. i mean, the point i want to make is i am hearing a lot of people call to talk about the effects that health care will have and what it will take away and how people will abuse the system.

but nobody is looking at the flip side or how you have people that cannot afford it. you have all the people in california on skid row. they don't choose to be poor, but they are in that situation. drops them backri on the street because they don't have a place to stay. you have people out here working and making a good living and can have -- like the lady standing in front of the courthouse said -- children that have had the a handicapping and they did not plan on this. they don't have enough money from their job. it is needed. argumentnderstand the not to have it. if we don't have it, there's a lot of people out there abusing it that have the money.

the reason they are doing that is they have the money to go in. if you take that money away from them and they cannot go -- or they are refused healthcare because they don't have the money or insurance, then they will see what the rest of america is talking about. host: giving you a sense of what it's like in this town on this monday morning as the supreme court reviews the health care law, the challenges to it. clots of people made their way to the nation's capital today. we are letting you listen to the comments of people on the plaza. for viewers that cannot be here, hearing from them as well. donald is an independent. caller: thanks for taking my call. i was listening a congressman last fall talking about the future of social security. i am filling out a mva form. i'm disabled, 50 years old. -- a va form.

the insurance cost is over $8,000 a month to have me on the job. i am retired the. i still have to pay a percentage on my va hospitalization and to see the physicians down there in martinsburg, virginia. i think it would be a good idea. locally and, i know of a young lady that is working full time at a doctor's office. she has been dating a young gentleman that works at another hospital making $58,000 a year, but yet she chooses to use the medicaid program to have it their baby delivered for free at taxpayers' expense. so the whole system definitely needs to be looked at rather than one thing fits everybody. it just does not work that way. the other thing of it is the hospitals, the big insurance groups, you never hear them and

talk about giving a price reduction. every year they go up 10%, 15%, and it is choking america. people cannot afford it. host:laur writes on twitter -- laura -- north richland hills, texas, susan, a democrat. caller: good morning. since the nixon administration, he put the insurance companies in charge of who gets care and so forth. we have been fighting this ever since. right now by the republicans they are fighting to put the

medical insurance corporation industrial complex back into being the sole judge of who gets insurance and who gets care and who counts. i am so worried about the supreme court after the debacle with citizens united. everything that has come down from them lately has been against the citizens of the united states, whether it is for women having the right to have the same pay as men and goes on and on. it is very frightening. i was in a situation myself. i retired a little bit early and i had nearly a year of having every insurance company refused me. in texas i was in a situation where i had to go on a special program.

however, that cost me a thousand dollars a month. fortunately, i was able to pay that and never really used it. i was in a situation that if i take it, then i will be covered. if not, then i lose everything. this should not be here in the united states of america. other people in other countries have worked out what is best for the citizens, not what is best for the insurance companies. we need to get back to that and quit listening to all the lies that are being spread. host: susan, thanks for your call. a congressman from texas tweeted about his view of the supreme court review. he was also or participant in a tea party-sponsored demonstration on capitol hill this weekend. here is his take -- next is a call from oklahoma.

fred, independent, go ahead. caller: good morning. i just want to bring up one king. -- if you want to increase the price, it will quadruple in no time. >> next is a call from albuquerque. says from ron. -- this is from ron. >> since medicare was put into effect many years ago, is been screwed up all along. keep saying we will run out of money. .hat's what i think happened they came up with the affordable health care package. they called the obamacare, which

he did not vote o n n it. it is too bad that congress should not be republicans and democrats but people that are representing your states as independents. number 3, congress does not fall under medicare. they have their own health care and retirement benefits. this is a congressional issue. and i think a personal thing between the previous speaker of the house and the current speaker of the house. that is all i have to say. >> the supreme court is hearing an argument today. they will look to whether the individual mandate is a tax.

it is based on a law they are reviewing, this challenge to the health care law. we have a comment on twitter. a phone call, oregon. >> good morning. i am watching this on the screen this morning. i see it brave people in front of the supreme court ready to take whatever on. i have been a plumber all my days. when you have more people running insurance paper then you have working, then we have a problem. when you have the drug companies coming with lunch chefs, giving

away trips and gifts because they are pushing that drug, yes, we have a problem. when you left republicans that have a choice of 11 different health plans, the argument, like the guy in the south says, "that dog don't hunt." any republican wants to follow me up on this, he doesn't have a dog in the fight. >> and this from twitter -- in williamsport, pennsylvania, our next caller this morning. >> thank you for taking my call. i have a few things to say.

this is the first time the government has forced us to purchase a private product. what is next? my car is a two-ton killing machine on public roads. that is different. my health is no one's difference. 26 states oppose this. the majority of states say they do not want this law. i am concerned about the mandate. the government should not force us to purchase a private products. >> thank you for your call. three comments from facebook --

back to twitter. new york city prosecutor writes -- the audio will be released immediately following the debate today. we expected to hover around 1:00 p.m. eastern time and we will turn it around quickly and getting on toward television network and website so you can listen if you are interested. next is a youngstown, ohio. this is sean. >> hi. good morning to you. i am a part-time employee. i work 24 hours a week and i

cannot afford health insurance. i and a borderline diabetic and i'm still able to maintain my health and so forth. i feel that this health care plan is a good idea, especially for people in my case the cannot afford health care. some hospitals will not accept you if you don't have insurance. i looked into trying to purchase insurance and i found it not for me because i would not be able to afford it. it is a good idea as long as the cost is reasonable and fair. i hope it does get past. >> burlington, north carolina. lesley is on. >> i want to say this should be

called it unaffordable care act. people who talk about children -- for kids that have special needs in order to have them covered. allows seems ton pick among health care plans to is like all of the congress does. number four, a middle-of-the- road americans whose husband has worked his butt off -- we have health insurance and we pay for it. i don't want to be subsidizing people that are of adults age and can work and actually -- we have a ppo.

we have a ppo. we did not win for at $10 or $20 or $30 an office visit. they take your blood and expect to pay $10 or $15. this is a big scam. i'm sorry i am being this subset. -- upset. i will give to any charity, lutheran hospital, any charity around. don't tell me the people get turned away from hospitals if they do not have insurance. the doctor will say do this or do that. then they have to go out and get resources on their own to go to charities to get the rest of the care they need.

one of my sisters had to do this. i am very upset. >> that was lesley from north carolina. we return to the supreme court. >> this is a local resident. this is ron kirby who is out here protesting health-care. >> i'm here to support to repeal of it. >> why? >> it infringes on our rights. we are lucky people in the united states to have the people who wrote the constitution. they have the vision to limit the power of the people in the constitution. the government has certain

rights. the states like massachusetts, they could have the one-payer system. for the government to impinge on every person and each health care bill has to have certain limits and restrictions. contraception, abortion is not in the bill. she has decided to contraception would be included in every bill, in every policy. now every policy we will have a pay portion for abortion. other things are coming down the pike. over 72, gusess what -- you may not need health care

or treatment in england? this is what can come down. our government has the power -- all of our doctors will have to treat their patients by certain decisions made by the secretary of health and education. >> ron kirby of alexandria. mr. tanner, to have representatives inside listening to the arguments -- do you have representatives inside? >> we do. >> what is it about this health care bill you're not supportive of? >> we think this case is about government power and the limits of government power.

if the government can command people buy health insurance, is there any aspect they cannot get involved in? there is not an unlimited ability of the government to make us do anything it feels is a good idea. >> his argument against this legislation and so the supreme court will overturn it. do you agree with this decisio arguments? >> i think it should be overturned. it is bad policy. this will raise health care costs. it will force people to change the type of health insurance they have. >> michael tanner, thank you. an interest group that is down

there at the supreme court. some of the demonstrators are gone. the drums have quit. we've heard that rick santorum will be here at 12:20 eastern time today. >> some people ask whether it is useful to protest on the steps of the supreme court because judges have a lifetime tenure . we spoke to john roberts about this view of the public protest. >> i understand people having strong feelings about some of the things that we do and we are involved in. it is not a situation where our decisions should be guided by popular pressure. the protest to some extent are we for people to express their feelings but it should be directed at us.

you would not want us decide what the constitution means based on what the popular feeling in. the idea that we should yield to public protests is is quite foreign to what it means to of the country under the rule of law. >> that was the chief justice talking to us in the documentary on the history of the role of the supreme court. looking out at live pictures of the supreme court today. we're listening to your calls from around the country and taking your facebook comments and your twitter posts. jacksonville, florida. >> hi. yes. my response to the health-care bill -- the majority of the people that are out protesting and the majority of people that

are against the bill, i have a 20-year health-care experience. unless you have actually seen ies bill, mpany' there is something that is called a markup. they set the market at whatever -- i became disabled in 1998. as of today, companies are billing as much as 300% markup. no one is looking at the cost, and that is what it is. americans have no complaints because they get all the care they need when they go to the doctor. but not one if you need some type of equipment.

they go right along with what the hospital is ordering. they did not take the initiative to investigate whether another company might be cheaper for them to use. that's what this country is a failing to realize. when you get any thousand dollar bill -- an $8000 bill for doing a ct scan, that is ridiculous. they need a course in the medical system 101. if you do not know what you're being billed for an paying for, it is unbelievable. >> commenting about how the

health care system works right now. the associated press has filed a story about the debates that are currently underway, giving us a glimpse inside that courtroom. here is what they filed just six minutes ago. "the supreme court is plunging into the debate. the justices are asking pointed questions about it pointed issue that could derail the case. robert long was appointed to argue the case. tax law bars texted shoots from being heard in the court before the taxes have been paid. the mission will not be reported -- the omission will have to be

reported." eight of the nine justices fired two dozen questions in the first part of the 90-minute oral arguments. one can speculate the ninth justice is clarence thomas. he says he prefers to listen to the debate and has done lots of the work beforehand, reading the briefs. georgia up next, john is an independent and on the air right now. >> good morning. thank you for taking my call. a light to respond regarding the health-care issue -- i would like to respond. i'm from germany.

19% of your salary is taken out of your paycheck for health care costs in germany. the marshall plan did not start the health-care system. adolf hitler started it. europe is a federalized gov and they have a federalized system. every country has its own system. everybody says you eat better, your life will be fine. everybody is going to die. we have not invented a system where you will not get sick. it is crazy. if you're unemployed, it is the state that pays you.

you get 60% of your last salary. of that money, 19% is deducted. if you retire, you have a 90% deduction from your social security pension from the government -- you have a 90% deduction. if you want to be a doctor, you have to get permission from the government. they did not allow any doctor to open a an office anywhere you want. you cannot choose which dr. you're going to go to unless you want to draw 100 miles. you're almost forced to go to the local doctor. we do not know in the snoot health-care plan what are going

to be the costs in 2013 -- we do not know in this new health care plan. >> thank you. that was in response to an earlier caller. from facebook -- john g. is on twitter and he writes this -- next call, satellite beach, florida, david. >> good morning. the whole problem with the health-care law is just another

tactics. rules for radicals. we hear the obama administration saying that we have to take over their health care in a letter to implement the progressive framework we have hidden in bills. i've heard the president say that and watching him on abc or whatever it was. it is just another tactics. you have hillary clinton going to the u.n. to try to take away our second amendment with their small arms act. just unreal the people cannot figure out that this is a power takeover by a few individuals that are in our white house and administration. when they started taking our

land, taking our rights, and not hearing the american people. we just heard of a bill -- now it is unlawful to protest. we have the national defense authorization act but says the use of our military can hold and detain indefinitely anyone in america. that is putting america into a global war. we've been a sovereign constitutional republic since the beginning and our forefathers are probably rolling over in their graves. >> let's return to the supreme court plaza for more interviews.

>> not only somebody is here -- that painting of speaker john boehner on the steps of the supreme court. joining us now is the artist behind the sign. what brings you out to the supreme court this morning? >> i have been studying the issue. when the court decided to take the case, i decided to come to washington. i will be here -- ♪ we shall overcome ♪ >> i am here to refrain the dialogue. i think everyone here is very

well intend. i am right there. i love the constitution. this is a big, big issue. it has reached on sustainability in 2012. >> you cannot hear a couple of days a week -- you come out here. what is it you do? >> i bring a different painting each time and i bring signs. i talk to the press and i talk to people. people in gauging me in conversation -- people engangge me in conversation.

some farmers from montana and ohio. after our conversation, they say you have given me something to think about. i connect with them as real people. this is the kind of conversation we should be having. >> you drive down from pennsylvania. do you sell your paintings? >> i do not sell my paintings. they represent all different ways -- >> after today, what will be painting? >> i have been thinking about my next project. if the court strikes down the affordable care act, i will start painting members of congress who oppose reform and perhaps some center from the

court -- censured from the court. side by side. a member from congress and somebody who has died. >> it has been 90 minutes since the supreme court began oral arguments. which is in the lawyers, pretty soon -- we should see the lawyers come out pretty soon. >> it is typical for the lawyers to come out before microphones and talk about their experience and answered more questions about the arguments they made. we will continue to take your telephone calls and other comments. comment frombook, from jo john.

kepnext is a comment from bowlig green, kentucky. >> good morning -- or good afternoon, i should say. as far as the comparison with the auto insurance -- if your oil insurance has dropped -- if you're caught insurance has dropped, you have to pick it up at a higher rate -- your auto insurance. i could not afford the cobra. i was insured by the same company. they were crying pre-existing

conditions. we need this affordable health care act. everybody pays, even that rich. everybody knows the insurance companies have them in their pockets. they will oppose anything for the common person. that's just the way it is. >> you have been seeing a lot of signs in our live camera coverage. there's a speaker right now and let's listen to a little breit. >> grant the power they are lacking. that they may be freed by your freedom. to one and all of us, and you grant your pieceace. amen. >> do you agree?

>> we now have a moment of silent prayer. we are praying silently in our own language and in our own way. >> ♪ this life of mine i'm going to let it shine this little light of mine i'm going to let it shine

let it shine let it shine it shine everywhere i go i'm going to let it shine everywhere i go i'm going to let it shine let it shine 'lelet it shine let it shine ♪ >> the executive director, the largest national coalition of national faith and local organizations -- representing

affordable health care for all. we're here today to share the vision of a faith inspired health-care future. searching for freedom of religious expression was among the driving force behind our forbearers'willingness to give up everything in the journey to the new world. people of faith are giving more what is it to values that are deeply embedded in our heritage . protect the common good. working towards health care future that includes everyone and works well for all of us.

we have faith leaders with us today who will share their vision for our health care future. our first speaker is mr. james the international public policy and social justice agency of the 11 million-member methodist church. he had to pay a wide ranging ministry in washington, d.c. [cheers] >> thank you, linda. it is an honor to be here. the official position is of human-right rights. the 35,000 churches, there are

far too many people who have fallen through the cracks in a broken health care system and are not able to afford insurance and are not eligible for medicaid. you can make as little as $5,000 a year in one state and be ineligible for medicare. people lack access. the stories we hear reflect people who have died from lack of health care coverage. >> we are trying to give you a sense of the sights and sounds of what it's like to be on the supreme court plaza today. people have come to voice their opinions on the healthcare law as the justices conduct three days of oral arguments. we are following members of

congress on twitter for comments they my post about health care. here is one from kansas -- listening to your calls and taking your tweets. next up is chad from tennessee. you.>> thank our leaders must make themselves aware of the affect this is having on people's health. i believe you can find a direct correlation. >> thank you. a democrat from alabama. these people keep telling us of all these people coming from canada for health care.

i know that for a fact and i agree. do they not know or they try to mislead the american people that the canadian government has an agreement with hospitals close to canada to save the money on buying multimillion-dollar pieces of equipment. they send their people to the united states for treatment. the canadian government is paying for that treatment. on this mandate, why is it we have all this uproar on this mandate when if you go back and look at the bush administration's part d drug plan, there is a mandate in there. you have 63 days after you turn 63 to buy a drug plan. if you do not, you pay a

penalty. after the 63 days, you pay so much penalty when you buy one. that penalty is not one time deal. you will pay it for the rest of your live as part as a monthly premium. if you don't have the drug plan for 63 days after you turn 65, you'll start incurring this penalty. then you'll pay the penalty on a monthly premium for the rest of your life. where is the average on that mandate compared to this one? thank you for taking my call. i hope people will look and will also knocked out the mandate in the bush plan? thank you. >> donald from south carolina, republican. >> i waited a long time.

the guy from alabama, he made a good point. the reason that the supreme court did not knock bush's plan down is nobody sued. maybe if they sued, then maybe there would have struck it down. that is my answer to that. lots of people and 26 states do not like this law. that has no slight on the supreme court -- that has no sway on the supreme court, i know. you can put all the sob stories in front of the cameras. 72 out of100 americans think it is the malpractice law they are

trying to enforce -- 72 out of 100 americans. the guy from florida. he was mentioning what the law is really about. a government takeover. let's face it. the fannie and freddie finances -- over 90% of all the home loans in this country now. ok? we nationalize the car industry up there in michigan. then this affordable care law -- this affordable care law -- if it is so great, why have the handout -- where the living and of the unions?

they get a waiver? what are the handing out waivers? and not a waiver to any car company -- they handed out a waiver to any car company. this is about -- just like the guy said, this is the -- people should look it up, the rules for radicals. it is like a carbon copy for what barack obama is doing. >> thank you for your call from south carolina. he cited a poll with 72%. we have a tweet where they say

70% say the individual mandate is unconstitutional. next is a telephone call from florida. this is leigh. >> i am a registered independent by plant on voting democrat. i keep hearing this rhetoric about the health care bill would be so expensive that people cannot afford it./ they can just get medicaid or these programs through the hospital if they cannot afford the health care. they are wrong. i am a 63-year-old woman. i'm in bad health. i have removed part arthritis and heart disease -- i have his rheumatoid arthritis.

i was hospitalized and i have no health insurance. i tried many times. i tried to get health insurance. i was told there is no health insurance no matter what the costs will insure me. the little income that we have that they say is too much for the programs. my husband gets social security and the pension. we do not qualify. we do not get that scot-free. i'm in danger of losing everything i have. my credit is destroyed. i have a question. who pays for my hospital bills when i was in intensive care

that i cannot pay, will never be able to pay. i'll tell you who pays for it. the taxpayers pay for it. i believe there are many, many people like me. i would like to see the democrats talk more about the real thing that is going on here. we cannot afford to not have tit. i know my hospital bills are going to cost the taxpayer. i will probably lose a little i have and in bad health. these people do not know what they are talking about. >> the head of the democratic a link to oursteeted facebook page -- a link to her

facebook page. from our facebook page, this is a comment -- that is kyle guy facebook. net to phone calls. -- now to

phone calls. >> i have a few comments. the health care we're getting today is not that good. i watched my father died, offer because the health care was not good. are not enough doctors in society or enough good groups to give care. some give good care but there is not enough for as many people as there are. there is not enough doctors. i feel doctors in nebraska feel more about making money than about their patients and their health. "oh, he is going to die anyway." they go away and that is it. i have one other point.

for all the christians who say they are christians -- they should look up in the bible. they all say they are christians but they hate human beings. if they were christians, they would love every human being on the planet, healthy, wealthy, and whise. remember, jesus died because of health care. they killed him. >> we will jump in there. from our members of congress list we are falling on twitter. and dennis kucinich. he just lost a primary in his home state. he writes --

mr. kucinich up on capitol hill with other members who will be around the court. there is an area called radio row we're ready stations are there to interview people about their health care opinions. frank is a republican from ohio. >> how are you doing? i have a comment all like to make --i would like to make. the government is here to protect our liberties. as americans, we need to wake up. this is the land of the free. people should make their own entitlements. they are earned and not given.

everybody has lost the concept -- to have the rights and choice and they are getting confused. you have rights to some things. >> thank you so much. the oral argument has now concluded. you can see people beginning to make their way out of the court. on thosep an eye microphones. next is a call from somerset, new jersey. bob is a democrat. >> i am turning 65 next week and i will be going on medicare part a. is this health care plan they are debating -- is that affected me in any way? >> not here with the experts to

answer questions. dan coats is senator from indiana and he writes -- next up is north carolina and this is michael who is an independent. >> thank you so much for allowing your callers to complete what they want to say. i watch "washington journal" and i listen to it every day. you had to cut off a couple of people but that is understandable. thank you for allowing people to say what they want to say. dick cheney does have a heart transplant. who paid for that? he is close to a billionaire.

congress is themselves the best health care. we pay 70% of the health-care monthly premiums -- 72%. that is a subsidy of $11,000 per year per congressman. we need to demand that presidents, vice presidents, and congress -- they would fix these problems. if they do not like that, do not run for office. thank you so much. >> on twitter -- next is charleston, mississippi. this is antoine. you're on the air. all right. we'll take our next telephone call.

we'll take a shot of people leaving the court as the minister why out after the oral arguments -- as they make their way after the oral arguments. some supporters and opponents of the legislation and then we are awaiting the release of the oral arguments and we will bring you the entirety of that argument on our network. you can listen to it with our pictures. no video coverage allowed in the court today. from florida -- jack from florida. >> thank you for taking my call. has anyone in congress read the bill/ ? there are 151 new agencies that will be set up under obamacare.

there'll be new irs agents to administer this. i think this is getting out of control. my other gripe is the judiciary in oklahoma. a single judge overturned the people. he overturn the legislature and the overturned the voters. i did not think the judiciary should be allowed to legislate if they have a problem -- -- if they have a problem, they should go back. in no instance should they be allowed to overturn my vote. >> thank you so much. we have a comment on twitter by d. next is a call from virginia.

this is donald, and independent. >> i'm a small business owner and i think this law is will we need. i cannot afford health care for my employees. so many kids are suffering because they do not have medical insurance and things. everyone says that people are not paying taxes. every time you spend a dollar, you're paying taxes. i do not know no one who doesn't pay taxes. i say this health care bill is and what we need. this is not obamacare. this is americacare. we should all stand together.

this is an american issue. america should lead by example. >> thank you. supremeturn to the court and exterior where there are comments being made by a group that's anti health-care reverends. >> all right. i will make some comments on what we watched and heard in the courtroom today during the entirety of the arguments. all right, i will wait. schenck, nd rob president of the national clergy council here in washington, d.c. we represent church leaders from catholic, evangelical,

orthodox, and mainline protestant traditions. we were in the courtroom today to listen to the first day of arguments. it was a very spirited exchange, to say the least. very serious andof variou very tense moments. there are difficulties legal questions about the standing in the cases. you'll hear from the attorney general today that argued and you'll hear from lawyers that argued on the point. while all of us are deeply concerned for those who need health care, deserve it and should have it, the question is, whether in the process of delivering that health care to them you may trample on the

rights of individuals to keep to the freedom of their own conscience. when it comes to the question of the mandate, whether the individual mandate or the mandate for religious organizations to cooperate with this particular law, you cannot get around the fact that it tramples on the freedom of conscience. to compel an individual to compromise their conscience is a fundamental violation of religious liberty. there were serious questions raised. we definitely out justice alito, who asked serious questions about the issue of taxation. this is the equivalent of taxation. a lot justices were concerned about at the point.

their body language showed they were deeply concerned. if it proceeds beyond today, as justice alito said, today you are here argument that this is not a tax. tomorrow you'll be here arguing that it is a tax. no one disagreed with that. there's a problem already in definition. we are united in this -- whether catholic, evangelical, whether protestant, we are in agreement, that this is a fundamental violation of the freedom of conscience. when the government compels an individual to pay money for something that violates a fundamental principle such as the sanctity of human life, and

we would agree -- we would agree with you on that. you would agree with us. thank you for being an advocate. >> we will leave this and listen to the attorney who argued the position in the court. >> i will not make a prediction one way or the other. justice roberts seemed to take exception that this did not matter. he was emphatic about that. >> he asked a skeptical question. ian was emphatic -- there are good reasons why congress would have wanted to do it that way. congress was last nihilistic then people are suggesting.

they understand there is an affect because some people would choose to follow the law even if it will not be fined for breaking the law. >> your clients -- there'll be additional people taking advantage of the -- to get coverage in medicaid. >> that is one of the state's interest in challenging the mandate. my clients are private individuals that do not want to be forced to buy health insurance as an organization there represents those individuals. >> why is that so important? >> the house is about to gavel